As part of the ongoing process to develop a master facility plan for Mariemont High School, members of the steering committee presented initial findings and recommendations to the Mariemont Board of Education at the June board meeting.

The steering committee is comprised of 24 district residents and staff members whose goal is to represent the community to develop and explore solution options for the high school facility. Committee members have attended several planning meetings with MSA Architects, the design architecture firm selected to assist the district, and participated in three community design workshops to gather additional feedback and ideas.

This presentation by steering committee members Brian Nichols and Kim Seichter marks the completion of the first part of the Solutions Phase, giving the Mariemont Board of Education insight and information to help them continue to narrow down viable and sustainable solutions for the district’s high school facility.

“We are looking at possible solutions to significant problems with our high school facility because the structure is presenting us with many challenges as it ages, and regardless of which solution the district chooses to solve these challenges, more money will be needed to address the structural, mechanical and academic issues in the current space,” said Steven Estepp, superintendent of Mariemont City Schools. “The only way to ensure our community members understand what is happening in their school district is for us to engage directly with our residents. Our goal is to make the entire process as open and transparent as possible, with multiple opportunities to get involved. After all, it is up to all of us to be involved in analyzing and assessing the future options for the high school.”

The steering committee’s initial findings and recommendations to board members offered insights and suggestions for the six different solutions being considered which range from only doing repairs as needed to a completely new facility. The committee also identified key questions that need further exploration for financing the project, the building site and project logistics.

Board members and school administrators will use this information to prepare for the second part of the Solutions Phase to begin this fall with the formation of facilities teams. Currently, the district is encouraging residents to join a facilities team to take a more in-depth look at the possible solutions for the high school facility.

“We need a variety of people to participate on these teams, supplying their expertise and feedback while working directly with us and design architects to begin talking specifics and details with each potential solution,” said Estepp. “By utilizing the facility teams, we will have the opportunity to look at this process through different lenses and areas of expertise.”

The application for the facilities teams is on the school district website under About > High School Facility Project > Teams & Committees. The district will create the teams in summer 2017 and will contact selected applicants in late summer to get this important work underway in fall 2017. The deadline to apply is June 30.

The goal of the Mariemont Board of Education is to have a completed master plan in spring 2018. The Solutions Phase is scheduled to be completed in December 2017, after which the steering committee will share its final recommendations and findings to the board. For more details about the process, please visit the school district website.